I've written this before, and I am going to say it again.
Technology evolves, and so should we. Learning AI is valuable, but I have concerns about advertisements and campaigns that rely on fear, anxiety, or ridicule to promote adoption.
Some messages imply that unless you learn AI immediately, your decades of knowledge and experience will become irrelevant. Others even make fun of people who are still learning or using fundamental workplace tools such as Microsoft Office.
I respectfully disagree with that narrative.
Experience is not made obsolete simply because a new technology emerges. AI is a tool not a replacement for professional judgment, ethics, critical thinking, leadership, and years of accumulated expertise. In fact, AI often delivers its best results when guided by people who already possess strong domain knowledge.
I have personally witnessed this throughout my career. When I was in my 30s, and even into my early 40s, I discreetly helped many leaders understand computers, software applications, and the Internet. Many of them were highly experienced professionals who simply wanted to adapt, remain relevant, and avoid being left behind or ridiculed by younger colleagues.
I never approached them by dismissing their experience. Instead, I respected their existing knowledge, leadership abilities, and professional achievements.
What I found was that most of these learning sessions became a mutual exchange of knowledge. I shared my technical understanding, while they shared decades of wisdom, decision-making experience, and practical insights. Everyone benefited.
Talk to experienced CEOs and members of Boards of Directors. Many will tell you that technology is important, but so are leadership, governance, strategic thinking, sound judgment, ethics, and experience. These qualities cannot simply be replaced by AI or reduced to how well someone writes a prompt.
There is a significant difference between encouraging lifelong learning and using fear as a marketing strategy. Suggesting that experienced professionals are "out of the game" unless they immediately embrace AI risks creating a culture that undervalues experience and, in some cases, carries undertones of AGEISM.
I've worked through several waves of technological change from manual processes to personal computers, from the Internet to cloud computing, and now AI. Each innovation has transformed the way we work, but none has erased the value of experience. Instead, experience has helped people adapt, question, govern, and apply new technologies responsibly.
The better message is simple: embrace AI, but never underestimate the value of knowledge, wisdom, and experience.
Technology should empower people, not belittle them. AI should complement human capability not diminish the contributions of those who helped build the foundations upon which today's technology stands.